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Game Information
- Platform: PlayStation 3
- BBFC Rating:
- Media: Video Game
- Item Quantity: 1
Frequently Bought Together
Product Features
- In addition to English and Japanese voice options, the PlayStation 3 system version will include English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese language options for STAR OCEAN fans around the world
- Combines sci-fi and fantasy elements, spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the STAR OCEAN universe
- Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise’s dynamic real-time battle system, now featuring amazing graphics and visual effects only possible on PlayStation 3.
- Up to four characters can take part in battles simultaneously and party members can be switched mid-battle
- New Blindside battle system fuses evasion and offense, enabling players to confuse and ambush enemies by quickly moving out of their line of sight when targeted – allowing stunning counterattacks and visual effects
- Freely pilot the Calnus spaceship for the first time in the series and journey to various planets of the STAR OCEAN universe at your choosing
- Item Creation and Private Actions, two hallmarks of the STAR OCEAN franchise, also make their return, allowing for players to enjoy upgraded versions of both systems
- Breathtaking CG movies by Visual Works, the cutting-edge studio whose previous work includes cut-scenes for the acclaimed FINAL FANTASY series
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Product Description
Manufacturer's Description
Carry the hopes of all humankind in an unforgettable sci-fi blockbuster!
Story
A.D 2064...Planet Earth was on the brink of destruction as clashes between the World Republic Federation and the various nations that opposed it sparked the outbreak of World War III. Weapons of mass destruction, deployed with complete impunity razed the land in the blink of an eye. The dire situation forced the two opposing factions to negotiate a cease-fire and an agreement was quickly reached, but although the war may have ended, its effects remained. With the deteriorating environment, Earth's population was drastically reduced and those who survived lived a confined existence trapped in underground cities. Eventually countries joined together to form the Greater United Nations and turned their eyes skyward, to space. With the establishment of the USTA, the Universal Science and Technology Administration, man began to seek new worlds beyond the stars.
Gameplay and Combat
Although Edge Maverick is the main character in Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, players will of course experience gameplay action in the form of a number of different characters and utilize the signature attacks assigned to each. The game features a real-time combat system which allows for up to four party members to remain active in battle at a time. Improvements to the game's combat system include 'Rush Mode,' where players can switch out active members of their combat groups for reserve members in real-time; 'Sight In/Sight Out' which allows for timed evasive and counter moves against enemies; and the BEAT (Battle Enhancement Attribute Type) system, through which players can change a character's fighting style at will. Other actions players will master through gameplay include piloting of the spaceship Calnus, a first in the Star Ocean series; item creation in the form of weapons, healing items and accessories; and Private Actions (PAs), a cause and effect relationship between character in-game actions and the acquisition of new abilities and scenarios. Through the increased flexibility mastery of all these skills provides, players should be able to more easily increase their team and individual team member's combat experience and status, and so unlock more advanced combat styles and linked combinations.
STAR OCEAN THE LAST HOPE: INTERNATIONAL is the enhanced PlayStation 3 version of STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE, which previously released on Xbox 360. A prequel in the acclaimed STAR OCEAN series, this latest entry offers spectacular visuals alongside exhilarating real-time battles in an epic sci-fi adventure.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is the latest release in the celebrated science fiction and fantasy Star Ocean RPG series. This prequel set during the aftermath of Earth's fictional World War III combines sci-fi and fantasy elements spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the Star Ocean Universe. Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise's famous real-time battle system, introducing amazing graphics and next-generation visual effects brought to life on the Playstation 3 gaming system.
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A.D 2064...Planet Earth was on the brink of destruction as clashes between the World Republic Federation and the various nations that opposed it sparked the outbreak of World War III. Weapons of mass destruction, deployed with complete impunity razed the land in the blink of an eye. The dire situation forced the two opposing factions to negotiate a cease-fire and an agreement was quickly reached, but although the war may have ended, its effects remained. With the deteriorating environment, Earth's population was drastically reduced and those who survived lived a confined existence trapped in underground cities. Eventually countries joined together to form the Greater United Nations and turned their eyes skyward, to space. With the establishment of the USTA, the Universal Science and Technology Administration, man began to seek new worlds beyond the stars.
AD 2087...The first year of the spacedate (SD) calendar. Thanks to the success of Professor Trillas Bachstein's warp drive experiments, mankind's dream of a spacebourne existence has inched closer to reality and the USTA secretly began to implement its SRF project, the Space Reconnaissance Force. Now it is SD 0010, and the first official SRF mission and your adventure has begun.
Characters
Players of Star Ocean: The Last Hope International will meet and interact with a wealth of characters from different parts of the galaxy, each with their own history and weapons of choice. Just a few of the more prominent characters to familiarize yourself with include:
 | Edge Maverick Although generally possessing good judgment, this young Earthling commander of the maiden deep space voyage of the SRF ship the Calnus, can be reckless. His signature weapon is the sword. |
 | Faize Sheifa Beleth A young Eldarian committed to etiquette and logic, and capable of astounding feats of engineering, Faize is always honorable of those possessing abilities he lacks. His signature weapon is the rapier. |
 | Reimi Saionji The kind and levelheaded navigator of the Calnus, Reimi was born in an aristocratic Saionji family and has a shared history with Edge back on Earth. Her signature weapon is the bow. |
 | Lymle Lemuri Phi Orphaned on her home planet of Lemrick long ago, Lymle is mischievous, but friendly and inexplicably retains the appearance of a young girl. Her signature weapon is the wand. |
Gameplay and Combat
Although Edge Maverick is the main character in Star Ocean: The Last Hope International, players will of course experience gameplay action in the form of a number of different characters and utilize the signature attacks assigned to each. The game features a real-time combat system which allows for up to four party members to remain active in battle at a time. Improvements to the game's combat system include 'Rush Mode,' where players can switch out active members of their combat groups for reserve members in real-time; 'Sight In/Sight Out' which allows for timed evasive and counter moves against enemies; and the BEAT (Battle Enhancement Attribute Type) system, through which players can change a character's fighting style at will. Other actions players will master through gameplay include piloting of the spaceship Calnus, a first in the Star Ocean series; item creation in the form of weapons, healing items and accessories; and Private Actions (PAs), a cause and effect relationship between character in-game actions and the acquisition of new abilities and scenarios. Through the increased flexibility mastery of all these skills provides, players should be able to more easily increase their team and individual team member's combat experience and status, and so unlock more advanced combat styles and linked combinations.
Key Game Features:
- Series prequel - Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is a prequel in the classic series, combining sci-fi and fantasy elements, spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the Star Ocean universe.
- Exciting Battles - Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise's famous real-time battle system, including the amazing graphics and visual effects only possible on Playstation 3.
- Compelling Scenes - The game features breathtaking CG movies by Visual Works, the cutting-edge studio whose previous work includes cutscenes for the acclaimed Final Fantasy RPG series.
Product Description
STAR OCEAN: THE LAST HOPE INTERNATIONAL is the latest entry in the futuristic space opera RPG series, STAR OCEAN. Science fiction and fantasy meld in this long-awaited continuation of the celebrated franchise from developer tri-Ace Inc. The year is S.D. 10. In the aftermath of World War III, humanity voyages into the stars in search of a new home...and a second chance. A prequel that combines sci-fi and fantasy elements, spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the STAR OCEAN universe. Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchises famous real-time battle system, including the amazing graphics and visual effects only possible on the Playstation 3. Features breathtaking CG movies by Visual Works, the cutting-edge studio whose previous work includes cut scenes for the acclaimed FINAL FANTASY RPG series
Product Description
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is the latest game in the popular STAR OCEAN franchise. As a prequel to the series, it reveals the beginnings of Star Ocean universe, making it ideal for both existing fans and new players. Combining the best features of classic RPG gaming — including a compelling story and unique characters — with a real-time action battle system and incredible graphics, Star Ocean: The Last Hope International will become a favorite of RPG fans.
The year is A.D. 2087. In the aftermath of World War III, Earth has been ravaged and the population decimated by a deteriorating environment. The countries that survived have joined together to form the Greater Unified Nations and turned their eyes skyward...to space.
Edge Maverick and his childhood friend Reimi Saionji are chosen as pioneer members of the Space Reconnaissance Force, which was created to seek out new worlds beyond the stars. Their ship, the Calnus, takes its place on the lunar launch pad along with four other starships of the first reconnaissance fleet. These ships — humanity’s last hope — blast off one-by-one and sail into the awaiting wormhole that leads to the vast star ocean.
And so, Edge and his crew begin their voyage in search of a new haven for humanity...and a second chance.
- Combines sci-fi and fantasy elements, spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the STAR OCEAN universe
- Item creation and Private Actions, two hallmarks of the STAR OCEAN franchise, also make their return, allowing for players to enjoy upgraded versions of both systems
- Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise's dynamic real-time battle system, now featuring amazing graphics through Blu-ray Disc
- Up to four characters can take part in battles simultaneously and party members can be sw
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Fun:
If you've played a Star Ocean game before, you've no doubt bought this game, completed it and are now attempted to obtain the 900 battle trophies.
This review however, is aimed at people new to the series. This game is by no means perfect, it has some pretty serious flaws, but if the linearity of FFXIII doesn't really appeal to you, then this might well do.
I've broken down my review into sections about the game to make it easier to pick out whats important.
Story:
Following WWIII man sets off to the stars in order to find suitable second earth to migrate to. This goes awry with the discovery of the Grigori who are hell bent on destroying the universe and as a group of steriotypical JRPG heroes (teenagers) its up to you to stop them.
The story is delivered through distinct cut scene segments in between dungeons or exploration. The story may sound stale and reused, but it has enough plot twists and hooks to keep you interested enough to press on.
Characters:
The hero (edge), his childhood friend (Reimi) and the enigmatic and quiet third character (Faize). So business as usual. However, the supporting cast are much more interesting; A cyborg scientist, the cat girl and the lady who decided the best form of armour is a bikini. Each character has enough of a back story that you empathise with them and (with the exception of Lymle) all of the characters are completely tolerable and overall make a very good bunch of space heroes.
Battle System (Gameplay):
The battle system is where this game truly excell, IMO far better than FFXIII, its all in real time and you control one of your four battle party (you can change both the character you play as and your battle party on the fly), this means that if you run into a difficult boss, where you need more support characters you can change them in and modify your tactics (as opposed to FFXIII's "retry" system). The combat is pretty fast paced and the difficulty through the main game is largely linear with a few slight jumps up. Each character can assign special attacks to the shoulder buttons, with up to three in a combo on each allowing for huge damage combos. With the rush gauge, blindside, rush combos, killer moves and variety of character play styles its impossible to get bored of combat; I'm 150 hours in and still love each battle.
outside of battles are the cities, dungeons and map sections. At cities you can buy new armour, weapons, rest etc. there are also LOADS of side quests: shop orders and other quests, ranging from fetch quests to synthesis to additional dungeons and with 201 quests in the game theres loads to keep you entertained. If this isn't quite enough, there is always item creation, which is streamlined and easy to master, just develop recipies using party members, find the components needed and your away.
Graphics:
The game is no doubt inspired by anime, the character models have big eyes and some interesting hair colours, but are very good. the textures are also very good, there are a few hit and miss textures earlier in the game, but overall the graphics are very good, especially as this game was first released in Feb 2009. the in game cut scenes are also well animated, although the majority are in game rendered as opposed to FMV (full motion video), although these do occur occasionally and are of a very high quality.
Sound:
The music in the game is varied, from rock-y dungeon music to more subdued music for villages. It fits with the scenery and adds a nice atmosphere to the game. But then.. the voice acting... I warn you now, that the voice acting from Lymle and to a lesser extent Sarah, is pretty dire, kay? If Lymle's repeated use of the word "Kay?" doesn't make you change to the japanese dub or at least tuen the volume down i don't know what will xD thankfully, the rest of the casts voice acting is solid.
So, in conclusion, I really do recommend this game, yes some of the voices are terrible, and the story is a bit bland, but this game excels where it matters, in the game play and content. This game is great for the casual player as the main game can be completed with minimal grinding/ side quests/ item synthesis, but its also great for people who want collectables and tons of side content. With the quality where it matters and enough material for a playthrough to be anywhere between 60-150 hours this game really caters for everyone. If your bored of linear RPGs were the game play seems largely superficial and a means of telling a story then you should buy this game. :)
Story: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Game Play: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound:7/10
For the fans/ Hardcore:
Post Game:
Aside from all of the quests/ IC etc, post game there are the two additional dungeons (Cave of the seven stars & Wandering dungeon), COTSS is a gentle introduction to what can be expected post game: brutal boss fights and the overpowered equipment. Gabriel Celeste and Etherial queen also make appearances :P Wandering dungeon is truly for the hardcore, with 20 levels of randomly generated dungeon, with a boss every 2 floors and Etherial queen on the 20th it is truly formiddable (luckity Santa has set up shop in the dungeon with the usual overpriced wears like tri-emblems). The best IC gear also requires you to kill both GC and EQ 5 times to get the feathers required for the best gear.
Trophies:
DO NOT buy this game if you expect to platinum it in 50 hours, with 900 battle trophies to get, every item to synth, every chest to open and every quest to complete a platinum will take 400 hours+. But its an accolade if you get it :P
Post Game Content: 10/10
Trophy difficulty 10/10
This review however, is aimed at people new to the series. This game is by no means perfect, it has some pretty serious flaws, but if the linearity of FFXIII doesn't really appeal to you, then this might well do.
I've broken down my review into sections about the game to make it easier to pick out whats important.
Story:
Following WWIII man sets off to the stars in order to find suitable second earth to migrate to. This goes awry with the discovery of the Grigori who are hell bent on destroying the universe and as a group of steriotypical JRPG heroes (teenagers) its up to you to stop them.
The story is delivered through distinct cut scene segments in between dungeons or exploration. The story may sound stale and reused, but it has enough plot twists and hooks to keep you interested enough to press on.
Characters:
The hero (edge), his childhood friend (Reimi) and the enigmatic and quiet third character (Faize). So business as usual. However, the supporting cast are much more interesting; A cyborg scientist, the cat girl and the lady who decided the best form of armour is a bikini. Each character has enough of a back story that you empathise with them and (with the exception of Lymle) all of the characters are completely tolerable and overall make a very good bunch of space heroes.
Battle System (Gameplay):
The battle system is where this game truly excell, IMO far better than FFXIII, its all in real time and you control one of your four battle party (you can change both the character you play as and your battle party on the fly), this means that if you run into a difficult boss, where you need more support characters you can change them in and modify your tactics (as opposed to FFXIII's "retry" system). The combat is pretty fast paced and the difficulty through the main game is largely linear with a few slight jumps up. Each character can assign special attacks to the shoulder buttons, with up to three in a combo on each allowing for huge damage combos. With the rush gauge, blindside, rush combos, killer moves and variety of character play styles its impossible to get bored of combat; I'm 150 hours in and still love each battle.
outside of battles are the cities, dungeons and map sections. At cities you can buy new armour, weapons, rest etc. there are also LOADS of side quests: shop orders and other quests, ranging from fetch quests to synthesis to additional dungeons and with 201 quests in the game theres loads to keep you entertained. If this isn't quite enough, there is always item creation, which is streamlined and easy to master, just develop recipies using party members, find the components needed and your away.
Graphics:
The game is no doubt inspired by anime, the character models have big eyes and some interesting hair colours, but are very good. the textures are also very good, there are a few hit and miss textures earlier in the game, but overall the graphics are very good, especially as this game was first released in Feb 2009. the in game cut scenes are also well animated, although the majority are in game rendered as opposed to FMV (full motion video), although these do occur occasionally and are of a very high quality.
Sound:
The music in the game is varied, from rock-y dungeon music to more subdued music for villages. It fits with the scenery and adds a nice atmosphere to the game. But then.. the voice acting... I warn you now, that the voice acting from Lymle and to a lesser extent Sarah, is pretty dire, kay? If Lymle's repeated use of the word "Kay?" doesn't make you change to the japanese dub or at least tuen the volume down i don't know what will xD thankfully, the rest of the casts voice acting is solid.
So, in conclusion, I really do recommend this game, yes some of the voices are terrible, and the story is a bit bland, but this game excels where it matters, in the game play and content. This game is great for the casual player as the main game can be completed with minimal grinding/ side quests/ item synthesis, but its also great for people who want collectables and tons of side content. With the quality where it matters and enough material for a playthrough to be anywhere between 60-150 hours this game really caters for everyone. If your bored of linear RPGs were the game play seems largely superficial and a means of telling a story then you should buy this game. :)
Story: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Game Play: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound:7/10
For the fans/ Hardcore:
Post Game:
Aside from all of the quests/ IC etc, post game there are the two additional dungeons (Cave of the seven stars & Wandering dungeon), COTSS is a gentle introduction to what can be expected post game: brutal boss fights and the overpowered equipment. Gabriel Celeste and Etherial queen also make appearances :P Wandering dungeon is truly for the hardcore, with 20 levels of randomly generated dungeon, with a boss every 2 floors and Etherial queen on the 20th it is truly formiddable (luckity Santa has set up shop in the dungeon with the usual overpriced wears like tri-emblems). The best IC gear also requires you to kill both GC and EQ 5 times to get the feathers required for the best gear.
Trophies:
DO NOT buy this game if you expect to platinum it in 50 hours, with 900 battle trophies to get, every item to synth, every chest to open and every quest to complete a platinum will take 400 hours+. But its an accolade if you get it :P
Post Game Content: 10/10
Trophy difficulty 10/10
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Fun:
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is similar in style and gameplay to it's predecessors in this franchise. However, it also has enough differences to make it a worthwhile purchase.
Plus, for newcomers it is easy enough to get into and you need no prior knowledge or experience of Star Ocean 1-3.
The battle system is more action orientated than traditional RPGs. Enemies can be avoided as you have to run into one in the field to initiate a battle.
You control any of the 4 characters and with a press of R1 or L1 you can switch between them during the battle.
For those you are not controlling, you can set tactics for the AI to follow. These can dictate which foes to target, what skills/spells to use and how much MP to spend during a fight.
Storywise, it doesn't have incredible depth or originality...but to be honest i woudln't always say that's a bad thing. There are other games for that.
Basically you are part of a crew that are being sent out into the far reaches of space to explore and hopefully find a planet for the human race to colonize.
Things happen along the way and of course it becomes about more than just that eventually.
It's fairly light hearted without being over the top cheesy like some JRPGs.
You can gain access to quests which are optional and of course there are something like 1000 battle trophies, and many ways to create various items. These are mainly for the completionists out there and be expected to spend 10x as much time on those as you would the games story if you want to 100% it.
The graphics are good, although not up to par with most other current titles. Again, this doesn't detract from the game though and i often think these games would suffer if they had top notch graphics.
Overall i'd say if you liked previous Star Ocean games then i can't see how you would dislike this title. If you're an RPG fan, then again i can't really see any major flaws which would stop you liking it.
However, if you dislike battles where you have to move around and fight or if you prefer your RPGs with a more serious, darker tone and settings...you may not enjoy this.
It's a solid RPG, with a decent story, good battle system and i'm pleased it got ported to the PS3 so i could play through it.
Plus, it's reletively cheap too.
Plus, for newcomers it is easy enough to get into and you need no prior knowledge or experience of Star Ocean 1-3.
The battle system is more action orientated than traditional RPGs. Enemies can be avoided as you have to run into one in the field to initiate a battle.
You control any of the 4 characters and with a press of R1 or L1 you can switch between them during the battle.
For those you are not controlling, you can set tactics for the AI to follow. These can dictate which foes to target, what skills/spells to use and how much MP to spend during a fight.
Storywise, it doesn't have incredible depth or originality...but to be honest i woudln't always say that's a bad thing. There are other games for that.
Basically you are part of a crew that are being sent out into the far reaches of space to explore and hopefully find a planet for the human race to colonize.
Things happen along the way and of course it becomes about more than just that eventually.
It's fairly light hearted without being over the top cheesy like some JRPGs.
You can gain access to quests which are optional and of course there are something like 1000 battle trophies, and many ways to create various items. These are mainly for the completionists out there and be expected to spend 10x as much time on those as you would the games story if you want to 100% it.
The graphics are good, although not up to par with most other current titles. Again, this doesn't detract from the game though and i often think these games would suffer if they had top notch graphics.
Overall i'd say if you liked previous Star Ocean games then i can't see how you would dislike this title. If you're an RPG fan, then again i can't really see any major flaws which would stop you liking it.
However, if you dislike battles where you have to move around and fight or if you prefer your RPGs with a more serious, darker tone and settings...you may not enjoy this.
It's a solid RPG, with a decent story, good battle system and i'm pleased it got ported to the PS3 so i could play through it.
Plus, it's reletively cheap too.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Fun:
Star Ocean 3 was one of the highlights for PS2 RPGs for me. Although having a poor storyline, it was fast, fluid, had some cool characters and a nice learning curve with hundreds of hours of gameplay.
Some would say that this game is sort of similar. The gameplay is certainly polished, and there is a typically 'Star Ocean' colourful cast of characters. The story is pretty lackluster, and I (and i'm sure you would) find 'liking' most of the cast quite difficult with some characters ranging from rock-bottom depressing to listen to, and others having such unbelievably annoying voices that you'll be muting the screen every few minutes.. >_>
...that said, there are many comic relief areas in the game and it feels far more lighthearted overall than the heavy seriousness of some of the dialogue in other Star Oceans.
The battle system is this games main seller. Nine playable characters, each with individual abilities and styles - some that are more 'beginner friendly' than others. There are four difficulty options to be played/unlocked. The harder it is, the more damage enemies give and the longer it takes to kill them. Your choices are: fight close range, long distance archery, magic, or using Blindsides.
"What are Blindsides?"
This is the new aspect of Star Ocean. In a 'Dragon Ball Z' fasheeon, your character will squat down when holding down the 'O' button. After about a second, you are a ready to blindside. What this means is, when an enemy is targeting you, you have the opportunity to dodge the attack, run behind them, and maul them from behind. This not only whacks out the damage, but also looks stunning! In different situations, blindsides can either save your neck or send you to your doom.
If you hold down 'O' for to long, your character gets so tense that they seize up and become temporarily stunned, leaving you wide open for a bruising. Blindside the 'wrong attack' (if you're being targeted with red crosshairs rather than flashing ones) and your enemy will spot your attempt, counter your attack and make you look like a complete idiot. Fun, fun, fun. In addition to blindsides, there's the old favorite, the bonus board.
"What is the bonus board?"
Fourteen blank tiles on the right of the screen allow for aiding your battles/training. Similar to the last game, there are a number of benefits you can recieve, however, in SO4 you have to meet very specific requirements in battle to get these rewards:
+ %Experience
+ %Fol (currency)
+ %HP/MP resoration
+ SP (points for raising abilities)
These are the two most important new additions to battles. The only other thing to point out is the sheer amount of things to do. I would personally say there is too much. There are 100 battle trophies (not to be confused with PSN trophies, but they do link) PER CHARACTER! So that's 900 battle trophies to collect O_o
Some are rediculously mundane and show no respect for you, the gamer, whatsoever. For example 'stay airborn for 60minutes' or 'run x number of km in battle'. I don't know what the designers have hoped to achieve by putting things like this in... Okay, some might argue that gaming in general has a 'pointless' quality to it, but for those of us who are playing for enjoyment... well, do you think jumping up and down in battle for over an hour is fun? This is why the game sort of falls flat. There are far too many 'pointless' tasks outside and inside of battle. It's as if they are trying to detract us from the poorly concieved story by giving us brain-numbingly boring tasks to sap our brain cells.
Sorry to leave this review on a low, but it has just hit me how badly some aspects of this game treat the player. So as a summary:
Battle System = excellent and fun.
Everything else = pretty much an abhoration.
Some would say that this game is sort of similar. The gameplay is certainly polished, and there is a typically 'Star Ocean' colourful cast of characters. The story is pretty lackluster, and I (and i'm sure you would) find 'liking' most of the cast quite difficult with some characters ranging from rock-bottom depressing to listen to, and others having such unbelievably annoying voices that you'll be muting the screen every few minutes.. >_>
...that said, there are many comic relief areas in the game and it feels far more lighthearted overall than the heavy seriousness of some of the dialogue in other Star Oceans.
The battle system is this games main seller. Nine playable characters, each with individual abilities and styles - some that are more 'beginner friendly' than others. There are four difficulty options to be played/unlocked. The harder it is, the more damage enemies give and the longer it takes to kill them. Your choices are: fight close range, long distance archery, magic, or using Blindsides.
"What are Blindsides?"
This is the new aspect of Star Ocean. In a 'Dragon Ball Z' fasheeon, your character will squat down when holding down the 'O' button. After about a second, you are a ready to blindside. What this means is, when an enemy is targeting you, you have the opportunity to dodge the attack, run behind them, and maul them from behind. This not only whacks out the damage, but also looks stunning! In different situations, blindsides can either save your neck or send you to your doom.
If you hold down 'O' for to long, your character gets so tense that they seize up and become temporarily stunned, leaving you wide open for a bruising. Blindside the 'wrong attack' (if you're being targeted with red crosshairs rather than flashing ones) and your enemy will spot your attempt, counter your attack and make you look like a complete idiot. Fun, fun, fun. In addition to blindsides, there's the old favorite, the bonus board.
"What is the bonus board?"
Fourteen blank tiles on the right of the screen allow for aiding your battles/training. Similar to the last game, there are a number of benefits you can recieve, however, in SO4 you have to meet very specific requirements in battle to get these rewards:
+ %Experience
+ %Fol (currency)
+ %HP/MP resoration
+ SP (points for raising abilities)
These are the two most important new additions to battles. The only other thing to point out is the sheer amount of things to do. I would personally say there is too much. There are 100 battle trophies (not to be confused with PSN trophies, but they do link) PER CHARACTER! So that's 900 battle trophies to collect O_o
Some are rediculously mundane and show no respect for you, the gamer, whatsoever. For example 'stay airborn for 60minutes' or 'run x number of km in battle'. I don't know what the designers have hoped to achieve by putting things like this in... Okay, some might argue that gaming in general has a 'pointless' quality to it, but for those of us who are playing for enjoyment... well, do you think jumping up and down in battle for over an hour is fun? This is why the game sort of falls flat. There are far too many 'pointless' tasks outside and inside of battle. It's as if they are trying to detract us from the poorly concieved story by giving us brain-numbingly boring tasks to sap our brain cells.
Sorry to leave this review on a low, but it has just hit me how badly some aspects of this game treat the player. So as a summary:
Battle System = excellent and fun.
Everything else = pretty much an abhoration.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Salute to Star Ocean!
Star Ocean, a unique story line, unique characters and unique battle system. As a fan of RPG games I come to expect familiar battle systems to cross into many games, however Square... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Matthew I. W. Menhenick
good
Well,It is better and faster than i think which make me satisfied.Beside this game has a long story that i am afraid i cant finish it.
Published 5 months ago by Wenhao
A cool Game
Well When I 1st bough the game I was excited. So I rushed in to my room, boot up the ps3 and started star ocean I was amazed the game play was something different . Read more
Published 7 months ago by Apostolis
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International PS3
I purchased this product, because I heard the reviews it got a reward being one of the top RPG's out there and I decided to give it a try. Read more
Published 7 months ago by CodeJ
Great game
Lets get one thing straight, Since squaresoft became square enix people have complained that although there games have been good they have lacked that special something that gave... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bretto
good to play whilst waiting for next ff
Star Ocean is a brilliant game, lots of fun, an excellent battle system and good story. The 2 things I hated about this game are that the cut scenes are sooo long and everybody... Read more
Published 10 months ago by LornaA
fantastic!!
not much to say - brilliant game and amazing story - took 5-10 hours to get to grips with controls n storyline but now at 38+ hours and absolutely loving it!! Read more
Published 12 months ago by shaun
Wonderful!
I am lost in admiration for the designers of this game. Not only is the gameplay immense fun, but the non-linear worlds over which the action takes place are large and varied with... Read more
Published 14 months ago by S. J. Fisher
Great game... if only it worked..
Has the makings of a great game, but too many bugs. Had to give up after wasting several hours simply redoing bits id lost when it crashed
Published 16 months ago by Matteo
SE RULES!!!
Like Kingdom Hearts?
Like FFXII?
You'll love this blend of the two games. Hours of fun, gr8 story, and unlike FFXIII the combat is actually fun! Read more
Like FFXII?
You'll love this blend of the two games. Hours of fun, gr8 story, and unlike FFXIII the combat is actually fun! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Adam
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